The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 160

JUNIPER

I approached the warehouse slowly. Each footstep felt harder than the last one. I knew why I was doing this. Elijah needed to be rescued, and this was the only logical option to accomplish that. Each step made me wonder if I'd be better off abandoning him, just like he abandoned me.

However, I knew I would never do that. Even though the wound he left behind was woven deep within me, I wasn't interested in revenge. Plus, he had been trying to get to know me. He was trying to change his ways, and even if I was still hesitant, I didn't want to lose the possibility. I didn't want to run from my fears any longer.

I took more confident steps, reminding myself I wasn't helpless. I wasn't alone.

I stopped in front of the warehouse and hesitated. I didn't know what kind of dangers lay behind the doors. It wasn't too late to turn around and change my mind now.

I reached for the door handle and pulled it open slowly. The creak of the rusted metal sounded like an alarm bell alerting everyone to my presence. However, as I stepped inside, the large room was void of people, except for a single chair and Elijah standing on top of it. A rope was tied around his neck, and there was a gag in his mouth. One wrong move could lead to him slipping and hanging himself.

My instinct was to run towards him to free him as soon as possible, but even though the room appeared empty, a deafening presence lingered in the air.

"I'm here, now," I announced, lingering in the doorway to keep the door open. It wasn't too late to run. "You win. You got me here, so stop hiding." "There's no need to be afraid. Come in closer, and we'll talk," a familiar, deep voice said.

My heart raced as the former principal's voice filled my ears. I had never liked being around him, and the last thing I wanted was to fall into his trap.

"Why should I? You're just going to kill Elijah whether or not I follow your instructions," I shouted, unsure of where to look.

Several shelves with boxes blocked my view of the edges of the room. With the echoing the concrete walls caused, I couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

"Come now, child," Barbara said. "We don't want to hurt you. Why don't you come in and have a cookie?"

"No thanks. I'm not really interested in eating poison," I said, venom dripping from my tongue. She tried to get me to feed all of my mates those cookies, and I almost fell for it. It was bad enough that Asher had been affected. If all of them had succumbed to her plan, I didn't know what Charles or Barbara would've tried.

"Now, now. There's no need to drug you this time. You have already shown that you are stupid enough to listen and come here on your own." This time Charles was the one who spoke.

I took a step back, making a point to keep my escape route easy access. "You didn't exactly give me a choice. I'm not willing to be the reason you kill Elijah." I just needed to keep him talking and distract him for a little longer.

Charles stepped out from behind the shelves and walked over to Elijah. He placed his hand on the chair and wobbled it, making Elijah cry as he tried to keep his balance.

"If you don't want to be the death of him, then I suggest you stop acting like the chicken you are and come join me. Otherwise, all I have to do is kick this chair out from your daddy, and his neck will snap." Charles was giddy as he spoke, and I knew this wasn't a bluff.

Don't worry about me, Elijah linked, making me jump. Leave now and save yourself. I have made my mistakes, and if I have to pay for it now, then so be it. You're too young, though. You have your life to live. Don't fall for Charles' lies. He will kill you if you listen to him.

I took a few steps into the warehouse, and the clank of the door shutting behind me made me jump again. I'm not going to abandon you, I said firmly.

"If I do as you say, will you promise not to hurt him?" I asked. I already knew the answer. Whether or not he chose to lie, I knew Charles had no intention of keeping Elijah alive.

"I'll keep him alive... for now. Now come a little closer, sweetheart. I want to see your pretty face," Charles said.

I didn't move. The way he called me "sweetheart" made my stomach churn, and I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," I said, hoping to distract him enough to keep my distance. "You could've taken your freedom and run. You could've fled the country where no one would ever find you. Instead, you attacked one of the most important werewolf figures, and for what? A little petty revenge. I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand, and I don't have to explain myself," Charles said. "Now get over here now before I get angry and kick this chair out from Elijah."

When I hesitated, he started to swing his leg. I squeaked and rushed forward, knowing I had to keep the proper balance between distracting him and listening to him. "Okay. Okay. I'm coming. Please don't hurt him."

"What a good girl you are," Charles muttered. "I wonder what else I can get you to do. I have always enjoyed taming the young ones."

My feet turned to lead, and I wanted to run far away. "I'm not your plaything."

"As long as I have Elijah under my control, you will be, unless you want to be the reason I kill him," Charles sneered.

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded. "Even if you kill Elijah, you can't go through with your plan. Winston is already the alpha, and you won't be able to get to him. You won't be able to take the power Anthony promised you."

"Not everything is about winning," Charles said. "Sometimes it's about humiliating those who humiliated you. Sometimes it's just about showing the world they were wrong. What are werewolves going to think when the man who was supposed to be the most powerful was easily killed? They're going to realize that maybe the Williams family may not be the right choice to look up to. They don't deserve the power everyone around them has simply accepted.

“|

I may not be the one who will take their power from them, but one day someone will. Other alphas will see what Anthony and I have known ever since Elijah took over. And they will know it's thanks to the Clandestines."

"If that's all true, why bother with me?" I asked.

"Elijah is my goal, but you are my treat. I will take you and turn you into the submissive b*tch I want you to be. It'll be so satisfying to not only turn the alpha's daughter into my personal slave, but also to show Ethan that he messed with the wrong man." I took a step back, unable to bring myself to get any closer to Charles. No matter what he threatened, I would never let him touch me like that.

Run, Elijah begged.

I wanted to listen to him. My bones begged me to bolt towards the exit, but I stood my ground. I came here for a reason. I wasn't about to leave until I accomplished that. "You're going to fail," I said loudly.

"Oh no, dear. You're sorely mistaken," Barbara said, stepping directly behind me. "You were the foolish girl who came here by herself. There's no one to save you now."

She grabbed my arms, digging her fingers into my skin and likely causing bruises. I hadn't expected her to have that level of strength based on her looks alone.

I didn't struggle against her grip. Not yet. I just had to buy a little more time. "I don't need anyone to save me."

"Don't bother trying to struggle. You are severely outnumbered, and the others here won't be as nice to you as I will be if you try to run," Barbara whispered into my ear.

I scoffed, disgusted by how fake she had been. "Elijah trusted you. You've known him his entire life. How can you stab him in the back like this?"

"Because he's just a spoiled brat," Barbara growled. "He was handed his title. He didn't earn it, and he abused it. He cheated on his wife and kept secrets from his pack. All the while, I had to stand back and do my job as his little assistant. No matter how hard I worked, I had no power and no control. My opinions meant nothing to him."

Elijah tried to say something, but the gag in his mouth stopped him from being coherent.

"Everyone is important in a pack. You were important," I said. "Elijah even said how much your support meant to him."

"Why are you defending him?" Barbara snapped. "He abandoned you. You should hate him just as much as me. No. You should hate him more!"

"I don't hate him," I said, looking into his eyes from across the room. "Maybe I should, but I can't. I know, because I tried. I wanted to blame him for abandoning me when I needed someone, anyone to save me. But I know he's not perfect, and I realize now that I never needed anyone to save me, because I'm strong enough to save myself. And now, there's no reason to blame him, because I have people who care about me. I have mates who will do anything for me."

Barbara clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed by my spiel. "Too bad you'll never see them again."

This time it was me who laughed. "That's where you're wrong."

Doors burst open, and Charles and Barbara looked around in a panic.

"What's going on?" Charles demanded.

"Did you honestly think I was stupid enough to come here without telling my mates?" I asked. "I told them about your little note immediately, and I've been distracting you while they surrounded the building. It's over, Charles. You've failed." "You little brat!" Barbara grabbed my hair and started trying to yank me away.

I thrust my elbow backwards, clashing it into her nose. She immediately cried out and let go of me. I shoved her forward and tripped her.

I stood over her as Ethan led warriors into the warehouse to stop Charles once and for all.

"I hope you enjoy your life in prison," I said. "Maybe someone will bring you cookies, but it sure as hell won't be me."